Israel minister says ’we will build Jewish Israeli state’ in West Bank

AFP | Jerusalem

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Undefined Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed yesterday to build a "Jewish Israeli state" in the occupied West Bank, a day after the government announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the Palestinian territory.

He said the move was a "clear message" to French President Emmanuel Macron, whom Israel's foreign ministry accused of carrying out a "crusade against the Jewish state."

"This is a decisive response to the terrorist organisations that are trying to harm and weaken our hold on this land," Katz said in a video published by his office.

"It is also a clear message to Macron and his associates: they will recognise a Palestinian state on paper -- but we will build the Jewish Israeli state here on the ground," he added.

"The paper will be thrown into the trash bin of history, and the State of Israel will flourish and prosper."

During a visit to Singapore on Friday, Macron asserted that recognition of a Palestinian state, with some conditions, was "not only a moral duty, but a political necessity".

He also said that European countries should "harden the collective position" against Israel if it does not respond appropriately to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.